Titled “EU and Russia: in Concert or Separately”, the event was attended by Russia's Ambassador to Slovakia Pavel Kuznetsov, Slovakia's Ambassador to Moscow Josef Migash, Deputy Chair of the RF Commission for UNESCO Alexander Dzasokhov, as well as representatives of academic community, business, diplomatic corps, NGOs and media.
Titled “EU and Russia: in Concert or Separately”, the event was attended by Russia's Ambassador to Slovakia Pavel Kuznetsov, Slovakia's Ambassador to Moscow Josef Migash, Deputy Chair of the RF Commission for UNESCO Alexander Dzasokhov, as well as representatives of academic community, business, diplomatic corps, NGOs and media.
Opening words came from RIAC President Igor Ivanov who underlined that Russia-EU relations were at the crossroads. In late 1990s and early 2000s, the goal was crystal clear, i.e. maximum integration despite mutual understanding that Russia would never become a full member. Today, Moscow aims at dynamic interaction with Brussels, since the global integration trends equal one year to ten, making cooperation an absolute must.
According to Miroslav Lajcak, upon independence the Slovak Republic chose to advance toward the European Union and NATO, although not in search of historic truth but for security reasons. Currently, the EU is Russia's main trade partner with a stable structure of commercial ties. However, the sides do not have a cooperation agreement since 2008, while the work on the new basic document is somewhat irregular. The deputy premier underlined the need for a secure relationship founded on trust and suggested concentrating on strategic rather than minor issues.
The participants touched upon the impact of European economic crisis on Russia-EU dialogue, energy cooperation, and the need for joint initiatives in education, business and technology.
EU and Russia: in Concert or Separately
